Fabric-cutting device



G. c. uoscn.

, FABRIC CUTTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 10. 1919.

1,343,722. PatentedJune 15,1920.

FUNITEDO STATES;

PATENT orrlcs;

GREENE O. HOSGI-I, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE MEASUREGRAPH COMPANY, OF S'I. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION.

Fannie-comma DEVICE.

To all whom it mag concern Be it known that I, GREENE C. Hosorr, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, and State of Missouri, have invented [new and useful Improvements in Fabric-Cutting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a novel device for use in severing a measured portion of fabric, and particularly of fabric that is of considerable width, such, for example,

as ordinary dress goods.

The character of materialwith which my device is designed to be used is usually displayed in the form of bolts, and when a given length has been measured therefrom the operator cuts off the measured portion with a pair of scissors. Not only is this process of severing the goods slow, but it is unreliable, as it is difficult, if not imp0ssible, to cut the goods on a straight line; and to be on the safe side, the clerk usually errs, both in starting the cut and finishing, in favor of the customer. As a result, there is considerable material given to the customer for which the shopkeeper receives no pay, and in the case of a-large establishmentthis amounts to ajgreat deal in the course of a day, especially with high priced goods, such as silks. Further, it very frequently happens that in cutting the material actually sold, the scissors will engage other material lying on the counter, or other portions of the materialsold, in either case cutting such material and spoiling it.

It is the design of my invention'to pro vide means for severing goods accurately and rapidly and on a straight line and at the same time to avoid the danger of cutting other-material, or other portions of the same material as that being cut, in the cnt-- ting operation.

\Vith these objects in view the invention comprises, in its preferred embodiment, a

relatively long member, that is to say, a member as long as, or longer than, the ma terial to besevered iswide, such member providing a slide for a cutting device movable thereover from end to end and having a handle at one end. and a gripping device located adjacent thereto and operable manu-- ally to hold the cloth at one edge portion as it'is being cut. I

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11116 "15, 1920i Application filed February 10, 1919. Serial No. 275,878. i

panying drawing, in which:

"Figure 1 is a top plan view of my device; i

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale partly in section and partly in side elevation, the view being broken away in a manner to decrease the actual length of the device;

Fig. 4; is a sectional view through the frame or carriage of the cutting device, a part of the latter being'broken. away to better illustrate the construction;

Fig. 5 is a'central vertical sectional view taken through the cutting device;

Fig. 6 is'a cross-sectional view on the same scale as Fig. 3 illustrating the manner 1 of securing certain supports on the device, the view being substantially a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1, with certain parts omit ted; and r F ig.7 is a cross-sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig.1. v

,Referring now to the drawing, the numerals 1, 2, indicate two parallel members, in the form of rails, or bars, which are secured at their rear ends to a handle 3 by meansof side plates 4, 5, the handle being provided with a central, flat, forwardly-projecting plate 6, which serves to space the bars 1 and 2 the necessarydistance apart and to hold them in such spaced relation. At their outer 1 1 cap 8 fitted over the ends ofsaid bars and secured thereon by screws 9. Pins 10 are shown as securing the spacing block 71 in the cap 8,: but this block could be soldered thereon or cast integral with the cap, or in fact, be secured in' any suitable manner therein. Arubber, orother, button 11 is secured on the'under, side of said cap 8 by means of a countersunk screw 12. At intervals throughout their length, the bars 1 and 2 are embraced by yoke members 13, which are countersunk in the sidesof the bars and securedthe'reon by means of screws14=,;the yoke members 13 projecting below the bottom edges of said bars to permitof the free movement of the cutting device as later described, and also to brace the bars and help to preserve their parallel relation". Secured between the plates 4: and 5 and the bars '1 and 2 by means of screws are angle bars '16 which'have secured on their lower bent counter its rear end will beslightly raised as compared with its forward end, thus maintaining the yoke members 13 out of contact with the counterwhen the device is in use. Pivotally mounted at 13ih the' side plates 4. 5 andspacing plates 6 are two grip- I ping arms,'l8, 19, respectively, having right angular extensions 20 to provide broad bearing surfaces at their outer ends; each of the bars 18, '19 is in the-form of a bell crank lever which works ina space between the respective plates 4, 5, and the respective bars 1, 2, and passing beneath said bars are united to form, or are otherwise connected to, a common trigger 21, which is adapted by means of abridge piece 22,.to work against a spring 23. secured at its ends in notches, or otherwise, on the under side of the handle portion of the device, as shown in Fig. 3.

'VVhen'the goods are placed under the ends of the arms 18,19 and the trigger 21 pulled the gripping surfaces 20 will be caused to engage the fabric and hold it from: being moved in the cutting operation. The num-- cral 241 indicates a semi-circular housing, which also constitutes a ca rriage for the cutting device, secured within which is are two circular shaped metal plates 25 and 26, which are cutaway below the lower edge of the housing .24 to form a curved mouth 2? for the entrance of the goods tobe cut. The plates 25 and 26 are secured in position by means of screws 28 passing from side to side ofthe housing 24, and secured by means of studs 29and screws 29 between said plates is a cutter 30, so positionedas to present an inclinedcutting edge 31 extending across the mouth 27. Onthebottom sides of the'plates 25 and 26 are projecting pieces 32 which are bent outwardly as indicated at 33 5), which serves as a stop to prevent the-withdrawalofthe cutting. device from between the bars-1 and 2. These projections in the movement of the carriage 24L. over the bars pass through the yoke members 13, which,as previously stated,- project below 1311611321 a sufficientdistance for this purpose. -At 0pposite ends of-the device I insert between "said bars a'suitable strip of a relatively soft material, such as leather, felt, or the like, indicated by the numerals 34 (Fig. 3), which serve as cushions for theimpact of the cut ting device at the limits of its movement in either direction-and also to deaden the noise of such impact.

Inoperation, the operator, having measured a length of material'from the'bolt, will insert the ,barsjl and2nnder the "material and extend it across the counter until its other end passes fto'or beyond the opposite side of the material. In such operation the end of the material toward the operator will pass under the gripping arms 18 and 19, or

' it may be placed thereunder by the operator. VHe will then grasp the handle 3 and with one finger pull the trigger 21 to bring the gripping edges 20 down upon the material. The operation is similar to that involved in grasping the handle andpulling the trigger ofa pistol, and the handle 3 and trigger 21 are shaped and relatively positioned to affordthe greatest ease in this operation. It shouldfbe stated that in positioning the material beneath the gripping'arms 18-and 19' the carriage 24 1's lifted so that the edge of edge 31 of the blade engaging the material slantwiseand making a sheering out. In practice I have used a razor blade of a well known'make as the cutter 30.

' It W111 readily be seen that the length of p the device whenpassed entirely under the material to be cut enables the operatorto gage by his eye a line more truly at right angles to thelength of the goods than would be the case when he attempts to out across the material without any guide, by means of scissors.

' It will be obvious that, various changes can be made in thejdetails of construction of my device without departing from the principle of the invention. supporting part of the device comprising the parallel members 1 and 2 could be'a unitary structure" instead of being constructed of two separate bars, the space between the two members 1 and Q-being cut out, or formedby casting, or otherwise. For" the sake of brevity I have referred to this part of the device in certain of the claims as a bar.

lclaimz 1. A device for severing fabric comprising a pair of rails, a gripping device for the fabric pivotally mounted near one "end of a said rails, and terminating short of the other end, and a cutting device mounted to slide For example, the

over said rails, and beyond. said gripping of'the bar anda cutting device slidable in i said slot and beyond said gripping device. 3. A devlce for severlng fabrlc ECQIIIPIIS- ing a bar having a longitudinal slot, a gripping device for the fabric pivotally mounted at one end of the bar and terminating short of the other end, and a cutting device slidable in said slot and beyond said gripping device.

4. A portable device for severing fabric comprising a bar having a longitudinal slot, a hand-grasp provided at one end of the bar, a spring controlled gripping device for the fabric pivotally mounted adjacent to said handle and provided with a trigger for depressing it against the resistance ofv the 7 spring, and a cutting device slidable in said slot.

5. A portable device for severing fabric comprising a bar insertible under the fabric and having a longitudinal slot, a gripping device for the fabric located at one end of the bar and a carriage mounted to slide on said bar beyond said gripping device on said bar and carrying a blade working in said slot.

6. A portable device for severing fabric comprising a bar insertible under the fabric and having a longitudinal slot, a gripping device for the fabric located at one end of the bar and a carriage mounted to slide over said bar and of a length to grip the edge portion only of the fabric to be cut and having a limited vertical movement relative'thereto, and a blade mounted in said carriage and working in said slot.

7. A portable device for severing fabric comprising a bar insertible under the fabric and having a longitudinal slot, a gripping device for the fabric located at one end of the bar, a carriage slidably mounted on said bar, a frame mounted in said carriage and extended through said slot, retaining devices located on said frame at a distance from the lower edge of said bar and a blade cgrried by said frame and working in said s 0t.

8. A portable device for severing fabric comprising a bar insertible under the fabric and having a longitudinal slot, a gripping device for the fabric located at one end of the bar, a carriage mounted to slide over said bar and having a member projecting through said slot and retained therein and provided with a recess for the entrance of the fabric to be cut, and a blade mounted in said carriage to extend into said slot and across said recess.

A device according to claim 8 in which the bar is embraced at intervals by yoke members secured to the bar and projecting below the bottom thereof.

10. A portable device for severing fabric adapted to be supported upon a table com prising a bar insertible under the fabric and having alongitudinal slot, a gripping device for the fabric located at one end of the bar, a cutting device slidable in said slot, and supports carried by said bar and projecting below the lower side thereof to maintain the same in an elevated position above the table.

11. A device for severing fabric comprising a bar having a longitudinal slot, a gripping device for the fabric located at one end of the bar, and having its gripping portion normally held above the Surface of the bar to provide a space for the insertion of the edge portion of the fabric to be cut, means for depressing said gripping device to engage the inserted fabric, and a cutting device slidable in said slot and beyond said gripping device.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

GREENE G. HOSGH. 

